


Cat Care 101: The Makoharu Guidebook

by Shattering_Colors



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, This is for a fic exchange, on tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 03:21:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13138011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shattering_Colors/pseuds/Shattering_Colors
Summary: Makoto and Haru adopt a cat when they move to Tokyo.





	Cat Care 101: The Makoharu Guidebook

**Author's Note:**

  * For [iguana_ism](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iguana_ism/gifts).



> Okay, this is my first fic on here, so I'm kinda nervous. I'm sorry if there are any errors. I did proofread it, but if there happen to be any, just let me know.

Tokyo had ended up being his set goal - Makoto knew he would seek it out - whether it was all by himself or whether he found a roommate who would help him rent out a cheap, thin-walled apartment.

Makoto had decided on his own that he would go to college in Tokyo. There, he would learn how to teach children how to swim, to not be afraid of the water, and to 'accept' it. He had been ready to separate himself from Haru, to let Haru live his own life.

Even though Haru had originally been upset with Makoto for holding back his future plans, Haru had decided to follow Makoto to Tokyo, joining a big name team instead of attending college. For Makoto, having Haru his side was a plus. Makoto hadn't expected that Haru would have followed him along to Tokyo, much less the fact that the two of them would find a nice (and affordable) place to live together.

The thing Makoto expected even less than Haru traveling to Tokyo with him was most certainly having a cat.

It wasn't that Makoto disliked cats - it was quite the opposite, in fact - but having animals live in one's apartment always had the ability to have the landlord spike the monthly rent, in case something were to happen to the rooms that the aforementioned landlord would be held liable for. Higher rent would be a problem for the two of them. They were only university-aged students, trying to make their way in the world

The whole cat thing was possibly, maybe, kind of Makoto's fault. Not that it was a bad thing.

 

 

The snow and cold temperatures of winter were melted away by the warmer temperatures of spring that drove out the frigid ones with longer hours of the day and blooming flowers that bloomed in any and every shade.

Makoto and Haru were to graduate soon. Makoto had already been accepted to the university that was his first pick. (He knew that Haru was interested to know what the letter said, so Makoto had shown him.)

He spotted the snowy white cat that he spent the mornings with as he would wait for Haru. Makoto crouched next to the feline as it cleaned its ears, not looking up from its task.

Somewhere to his right, a door creaked open and took its time to close. Makoto peered up from the cat to see Tamura-san smiling warmly at him, her aged face crinckling.

"Good morning, Tamura-san." Makoto nodded softly at her, mirroring the good-natured expression.

"Good morning, Makoto-kun." She placed her straw basket down on the ground, wincing slightly at the way her back felt when she stood up again.

"Do you need any help, Tamura-san?" The cat had made it's way onto Makoto's leg. It was irritated that Makoto had begun to move.

"No, no. I must be becoming old, my back seems like it wasn't what it was before." Her smile changed to one that appeared wistful. After a few seconds of silence, she spoke again. "You know, Makoto-kun, that the cat you always play with," she gestured to the cat that was now asleep on Makoto's leg, "doesn't really have a home. I had thought that it was yours, but I know you'd take better care of the things you love." She didn't seem to be just talking about the cat.

"I didn't know, actually. That's quite unfortunate." Makoto's phone vibrated in his pocket and he froze, wondering what to do about the cat. "I've got to go, Tamura-san. Have a nice day." Makoto had managed to scrape the sleeping cat off of his leg. It had gazed back up at him though drooping eyelids. It then moved to the side of the path and resumed dozing off.

"Have a nice day, Makoto-kun. Oh, say hello to Haruka-kun to me." She picked the straw basket back up and went into her house.

 

"Haru?" Surprisingly, for once, Haru was actually not in the bathtub.

"In here." Haru's airy voice drifted from the kitchen where the smell of mackerel emanated from.

Makoto sighed and shook his head, nostalgia flooding his mind. This would be the last year they'd do this, with Makoto helping Haru get ready for school and then the two of them would walk together. They wouldn't do that when they got to Tokyo. Schedules would mix up and they wouldn't be able to meet up.

"Makoto?" Haru's voice was lilted with a hint of worry that only Makoto could detect.

Makoto was still standing in front of the bathtub. "Ah, sorry Haru." He exited the bathroom and made his way to the kitchen. "I just spaced out."

"It's fine." Azure eyes greeted his own, whispering an unneeded 'good morning'.

"Good morning, Haru. Tamura-san says hi, as well." Makoto snuck a glance at the clock. They weren't running behind, for once.

"Oh. That's good. Is she still having back pain?"

Makoto leaned against the counter as Haru ate. "Not too bad now. I think it's safe to say that she's getting better." Makoto at least wanted to say that she was improving.

"She shouldn't blame it on 'old age' when it's really surgery." Underneath, Haru was pleased.

"You know the cat by the steps?" Makoto feels the cat fur sticking to his uniform. Being with a white cat in a black uniform most likely wasn't the best idea.

"Yes, I do." Haru nodded, urging him to go on.

"It doesn't have a home. All this time I thought it did. It's sad that the poor cat doesn't have anywhere to go."

"What are you insinuating, Makoto?" Haru looked up, not a trace of malice in his voice. He was sort of curious.

"I wasn't insinuating anything, I was just saying it would be nice if the cat could find someone that could take care of them for forever, since we'll all eventually leave." Makoto had taken the defensive side.

"You think we should take the cat along with us to Tokyo?"

Makoto hadn't expected that from Haru. "I think it's the right thing to do."

Haru began to wash his plate off. "I'm not disagreeing with you when I say this, Makoto, but what about money? It'll be a tight fit for just the two of us. A cat as well? I'd love the company, but can we realistically achieve that?"

Makoto pursed his lips in thought, trying to think of a solution. "We can try, right, Haru?"

A small smile crept onto Haru's face as the raven wove their hands together. "We can try." Makoto's face flushed from the intamate gesture.

 

A month or so afterwards, the third years graduated. Tears and cries of 'don't leave us' were heard from the second years. Everyone cried at least once. Gou had sniffled much more than she would have cared to admit. Nagisa had snot trailing down his chin from crying so much that it would have been slightly comical to an outsider. Rei's eyes were puffy and Haru's nose was pink, Makoto's cheeks were damp. They had finally done it, completed a chapter of their lives. Soon enough, they'd be off to begin another chapter on their own.

 

A week after graduation, Nagisa, Rei, Rin, Haru and Makoto gathered into the living room. Rin would be leaving for Australia soon and they all needed to say goodbye. It was a tight fit for the five of them, fitting into a living room that was made for really only two people, but they accomplished it nonetheless.

The cat climbed onto Makoto's lap, then stood up and wedged itself between Makoto and Haru, wanting Makoto's attention to be directed at it instead of Haru. Makoto petted it, then slid his hand into Haru's. The raven didn't object, he gave Makoto's hand a soft squeeze instead.

"Makoto, Haru, have you guys even named the cat yet?" Rin nodded to the feline.

Makoto frowned, staring down at his rude cat. "No, we haven't. We just been calling it an it."

"I recommend that you also find out what the cat's gender is, it will be helpful when you need to neuter or spay it." Rei's recommendation was cut sort by Nagisa.

"Don't you guys want any kittens, though? I want twenty!" Nagisa was attempting to cover up the underlying atmosphere with his cheeriness. He did well.

"It'll be expensive. We manage as is." Haru's reply was short, but not dismissive. 'Maybe in the future', was what he was trying to say, 'but now we need to focus on us'.

"I think you guys should name your cat, though. It's get kinda weird calling it 'Cat' or 'It' all of the time." Nagisa proposed, tilting his head in a manner that suited his character quite well.

"I agree with Nagisa-kun, calling your cat 'Cat' isn't the best." Rei seconded Nagisa's preposition. They might not always appear to agree on too much, but at heart Nagisa and Rei were quite similar.

"What they said." Rin waved his hand up, giving a nod.

"How should we go about this, Haru?" Makoto turned to Haru, earning an irritated look from 'It'.

Haru shrugged. "I'm not sure."

"We could vote." Rei suggested.

"We could write the names on little slips of paper and put them into a hat and shake it and see what happens." Nagisa's suggestion seemed random, yet thought out.

"Oddly enough," Rin narrowed his eyes, pondering over his next words, "I've gotta go with Nagisa's idea. Rei, yours seems like too much of a process. Nagisa's will be short and easy."

"I agree as well." Haru nodded.

"What do you want to do, Rei?" Instead of picking a side, Makoto had asked.

"Nagisa-kun's method does seem like the better one. I agree with trying that one."

"Alright. Now that we've got that planned out, who's going to pick out the name from the hat?" All eyes turned to Makoto. "Why me?"

Everyone sputtered for an answer.

"You're just… a genuinely nice guy? You wouldn't mess with a vote for what your cat's name should be." Everyone else nodded with Rin's explanation.

"I'll get a sheet of paper." Haru stood and the cat moved to lay across Makoto's lap. "Write down only one name per person."

 

A couple minutes later, Makoto had collected the slips of paper and out them into one of Haru's beanies that they were borrowing for the task. He placed them in and shook the hat. "'Mackerel'."

Rin and Nagisa argued, so Haru casted another name in its place.

Makoto shook the hat again, then pulled out a slip of paper. "'Ma-'. No, we are not doing this again, Haru."

"What do you mean?" Haru tilted his head to the side in mock confusion.

"Not this name."

"It's not yours."

"Just pick another name please, Haru." Makoto sighed and handed Haru back his slip of paper for the second time.

Haru crossed out the name 'Makko', the name of the dog he had had from when they were kids. Haru had tried to name it after Makoto, who had vehemently refused. So, Haru had used the similar name of 'Makko'. He had liked it and Makoto had tolerated it enough.

Haru handed back the slip of paper, a soft frown dancing on his lips.

"Okay." Makoto put the slip of paper back into the hat. "Let's try again." He shook the hat as everyone watched with anticipation.

When he picked the piece of paper up and opened it, Makoto had been a bit surprised. "'Salt'?"

"Yeah, because your cat's white, salt's white. You know?" Nagisa's explanation was poor.

"But, Nagisa-kun, why 'Salt'?"

"Asks the one who wrote in his own name for the suggestion!"

Rin shook his head at the two of them. "So, 'Salt', that's your new name. Your name is now officially 'Salt'."

Salt meowed in return, bobbing its head up a bit. The noise had woken it up.

 

The next day, Haru and Makoto ventured to the vet with Salt. Together, they filled out forms about Salt and learned that Salt is a girl, among other things.

When the appointment was over, Haru made the follow-up appointment for having Salt spayed while Makoto checked in with the vet. Salt was fine, but they would need to come back periodically since she lived outside most of the time and ate things that she shouldn't have really eaten, although they weren't really bad for her, like grass.

Before the two of them went to the pet store, they dropped Salt off back at home, promising to be home soon.

 

Haru climbed out of the driver's seat as Makoto did the same on the opposite side of the car. They had agreed to divide and conquer. Haru would get the food and Makoto would get the litter and box, then they would meet up to pick out cat toys.

 

"Haru, no." Makoto stood with his hands on his hips and a displeased expression on his face. Makoto had set down the litter and box at make the gesture.

"Why not?" Haru's eyes flicked down to the item in his hands. The cat food sat beside him, on the floor.

"We are not giving our cat mackerel!"

"Cats eat fish."

"Haru, you're right, but they don't eat it as we do. She'll become over-weight, it's not healthy for her."

"We can get her a treadmill." Haru was trying, but to no avail; this would not be something he'd win.

"Or we can stick to what the vet told us to do."

Haru stared sharply, even though it was only a bluff. He huffed and turned around. "Fine." He was pouting, making his way back to the shelf where he had first picked up the canned fish.

Makoto followed after him. "It can be a treat for her, for just once in a while."

Haru stopped suddenly. He told his head to the side. "Why didn't you say so?" Haru jutted his arm out and latched his hand onto Makoto's wrist and dragged him to the check out counter.

Even still, Makoto's face flushed.

 

They had each put the items that they had picked up in the back seat. Since Haru had driven the two of them to the store, Makoto would be the one that drove them back home.

Outisde the car, the wind rustled the trees and the streets were only semi busy. The heat was on in the car, but not too far up. They didn't want to sweat.

The atmosphere was peaceful, but it wasn't as tranquil as when there was conversation. Haru piped up, leaning his head back into the head rest. "What were you thinking of naming her?"

Makoto kept his eyes focused on the road, but his words focused on Haru. "'Forest', maybe. Because-" he took his one hand off of the steering wheel and gestured to his eyes "-her eyes are green. Green was too odd of a name, so I had gone with forest, since that sounded better."

Haru hummed an agreement. Green was almost an odd a name as Salt was.

 

 

Salt adjusted to her new life with Haru and Makoto fairly easily. Apart from the rare scratches they (mostly Haru, almost never Makoto) obtained during the first few weeks, everything went swimmingly.

When she was of age, they did as Rei had advised them to and had Salt spayed. Cats were nice, but they didn't want their cat to have her own little cats. That'd be just a few too many.

Salt didn't have a feeling either way when she got her monthly bath. She didn't purr, nor did she protest. She was fine with the water as long as she wasn't buried in it.

However, she did protest when the cat crate of fear came out from its secluded place in the closet. The crate meant the vet and the vet typically meant bad things.

When it was time for Salt to go to the vet was when Makoto and Haru obtained most of their scratches on their arms.

It was always a fight to get the cat into the crate to go to the vet, but when the appointment was over, she would saunter back in and lie down, taking a much needed cat nap.

 

Makoto put the last of the groceries away as Haru collected the bags. Since Haru had not given up mackerel, Salt would come running whenever she heard the plastic bags and smelled the fish. She would normally be sitting in front of Makoto, staring at him with wide eyes. Except, she wasn't today.

"Haru?" Haru put the last of the plastic bags in the trash can. "Do you know where Salt is? She'd normally be here by now."

Haru gave Makoto's shoulder a soft squeeze; he was beginning to worry. "She's probably in the laundry basket."

Salt always loved to sleep in the laundry, the used towels. Makoto and Haru thought that it smelled like gem, so she wanted to sleep there. Or maybe she was cold and the towels gave her warmth.

Makoto went down the hall to check the laundry, with Haru behind him.

Makoto came out of the bathroom with a frown. "She's not in there, Haru." Outside, rain drizzled. Makoto took a breath before speaking again. "What if something happened to her? What if she wandered out into the street and someone picked her up to take her to the shelter because they thought she was lost? What if-?"

Haru took Makoto's hands in his and kissed his boyfriend on the cheek. Makoto's face brightened with pink. "We'll find her. I'm sure that she's fine."

 

After upturning every couch cushion and pulling open every cupboard, Makoto and Haru sighed with worry.

"Maybe she ran away, Haru." Makoto was far too glum for Haru's liking.

"She wouldn't do that. She loves food too much. Besides, she loves us too much to run away."

"Right." Makoto stood and walked to the door. Haru followed after him. "She could be anywhere, Haru. Maybe she went to the city."

"Did she buy a train ticket first?"

"She might have!"

"I don't think cats can buy train tickets, Makoto."

Makoto leaned against the front door. "We'll have to print out missing posters. We'll have to ask the neighbors if they've seen her, too." Makoto opened the front door to do just that.

Haru peeked over Makoto's shoulder to see what he was staring at. "Oh. There she is."

Salt sat a foot away from Makoto, staring up at him with sparkling eyes. The door had been left open while Makoto and Haru were getting the groceries and she wanted to see what all of the commotion was about. She had not expected that the door would be closed on her face. However, she had known that her owners would come looking for her. So, she sat herself on the front porch and waited.

Salt stood up and meowed, continuing to star at Makoto. He was tearing up. Makoto squatted down and scooped the cat into his arms. "Don't ever do that again! We were so worried!"

Haru petted Salt's head, who nuzzled Haru. He wasn't making too much of a fuss. Even though they were different, Salt loved them both the same.

 

**A/N:** I think this was my first Makoharu fic? I don't know though. I tried my best! And, no, I was not going to kill the cat. On a separate note, I'd just like to thank everyone for this. Thank you @anunyun for organizing the holiday exchange. Thank you @thoseswimmingdorks for the prompt. And lastly, thank you @datheetjoella for giving me the final nudge to join this exchange. It's been fun!


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